Wiking Helikopter Service has taken delivery of an AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopter from Leonardo's Vergiate facility, expanding an existing fleet of three aircraft. The helicopter will be used to carry out offshore transport missions supporting energy industry operations in northern Europe.

Wiking has been an offshore transport specialist in the North and Baltic Sea for more than 45 years. It has three bases in Germany and two in the UK. The company also performs sea pilot transfer, a windmill engineer hoisting service and EMS operations with its fleet of seven helicopters of various types.

“Our fleet standardisation and modernisation programme, which launched a few years ago, is helping to meet the evolving requirements of our customers, and the growth of our AW139 fleet is providing a valuable support for this goal. Our decision to leverage the unrivalled mission capabilities, operational efficiency and reliability in its category of the popular AW139 are testament to our commitment to delivering the best level of safety, quality and service across the region,” says Ernst Nassl, Wiking CEO.

The AW139 has proven popular in the region for offshore, SAR, passenger transport and law enforcement duties. The type is highly rated in terms of flight and mission technology, cabin space and comfort, performance, safety and reliability as well as introducing advanced support, maintenance and training services. The AW139 meets the evolving energy market's requirements with features including a more than 60 minute run dry capable main gearbox and full or limited ice protection system as an option to fly in known icing conditions.

Nearly 1,200 AW139s have been ordered by more than 280 customers in over 70 nations to date for any kind of mission. The global fleet of nearly 1,100 units has amassed over 2.9 million flight hours to date.